Almost £150,000 of food wasted in schools each year

Around five percent of school meals budget thrown away

Almost £150,000 worth of food is wasted each year in the Island's schools.

The figures have been published by the education department as part of its review of school meals earlier this year.

A three-week study at three of the Island's primary schools revealed there's around 40kg of plate waste each week, with a further 31kg thrown away from the kitchens.

The Department of Education, Sport and Culture estimates this equates to an average of £145,763.70 per year across all schools - just under five percent of the total budget for school meals on the Island.

The figures are part of a paper prepared for a political meeting in July this year, and have been published by Education Minister Daphne Caine in response to a Tynwald written question from Onchan MHK Julie Edge.

The report goes on to say some waste in the kitchen is unavoidable such as skins and peelings, while the plate waste includes items like wrappers and packaging.

The department has set out ways to reduce the amount of waste, targeting a 10 percent reduction.

It aims to improve meal ordering accuracy across all schools, as a significant portion of food waste is as a result of overproduction.

Measuring and analysing meals will also be looked at, with the department considering whether each school will need a set of digital scales costing £40 each.

It's also hoped work to educate students and promote the school meals by improving familiarity and understanding will reduce waste.

Changes to the school menu were introduced at the start of the current school year, with a focus on less ultra processed food and more local produce.